Our Fitness Blog

Can You Want to Add YEARS to Your Life? – I DID!

In my latest blog, I confessed about my awful addiction to cigarettes for over five years, and I want to go a little more in depth about it with this one. I want to start off by letting you know that the details of this blog is not about putting down anyone who is a smoker, because I believe we are all educated on the effects of smoking.

When I first started smoking (in high school), I wasn’t into health and fitness like I am now. Like most people, I never thought I was addicted to cigarettes - until I tried to quit.

“All you have to do is stop, it’s not that difficult.”

I heard that about a hundred times. If quitting was that simple, I don’t think people would need to sell/buy products to help us do it.

I had tried to quit smoking at LEAST once a year. I would do well for a week or so but eventually, I picked up another cigarette. I came up with plenty of excuses as to why I started again. My most common excuse,

“Today was just so stressful.”

I know the question now is, “How did you finally do it?”

To me, it’s not over. I still get that urge every once in a while, but it really is MIND over MATTER. Quitting smoking became a long term goal for me, just like my goal to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

There are a few things I do to help me stick to my goal:

Stay away from places where I am most likely to smoke

I try not to be around people (friends) who are

smoking

When I am stressed, I find a calm & quiet area to take a minute and try to relax

I surround myself around supportive people

9Round Workout – one of the biggest stress relievers for me

I truly believe that my exercise routine is the main reason why I am able to keep that cigarette away. When I became a member of 9Round in January of 2013, I was still a smoker.

I NEVER knew that it was affecting my performance until I quit. I was breathing so much better, and I was able to push my body to its full potential!

I honestly didn’t think I was able to quit, but it begins with making a decision. It is a life changing decision, but it’s for the better; for your health and longevity. With the help of 9Round, I am able to relieve the stress that “makes” me want a cigarette. Choosing to live a healthy lifestyle includes making the decision to eliminate your vices.

As I mentioned in my last blog, you don’t need to make huge changes at once. Take small steps, and don’t get discouraged. I know from personal experience how difficult it is, and I also know how great the outcome is. I couldn’t be any happier with my decision to stop the habit.

Remember, my intention for writing this is to simply encourage, not discourage.